Disclaimer: I don't own HP. JK Rowling does.
Chapter Four
"What if she was right?"
Near Easter break, Hermione went to the archive once again. That day, however, to another section, where another officer was.
She knew what she was going to ask was not easy to achieve.
"Hi. Can I see Harry Potter's transcripts?"
"I don't think so" the man replied harshly. "Student transcripts are confidential. Sorry"
She rolled her eyes and exited muttering, with the wand toward herself: "Impervius!".
Few moments later, water started falling in the archive, and the man exited hastily, leaving the office unguarded. Hermione entered, not one drop wetting her clothes thanks to the charm she had used, and so she took what she wanted.
"Oh, yeah. Harry is definitely rubbing on me" she thought to herself in amusement, a smile playing on her lips, while settling on the grass to read.
But what she saw made her smile disappear suddenly.
She got extremely angry at Harry, and started searching him in all school. Finally he found him in the North Tower, where Divination class was held.
He was leading an assembly to find new students for the group.
"The Divination club really needs your support, guys. And if Millicent Bulstrode has the guts to have her love life predicted, and you all know that she's not pretty, sorry Millicent but you know it is true, you can all take some of your time and enter the club"
Cheers erupted, led by the club president Lavender Brown.
Then Lavender herself proceeded to do the prediction to Millicent.
"You may need some time, my dear, but once out of here, you'll eventually find a nice wizard that will love you. And you'll be happier than lots of us pretty girls who don't know if our boyfriends love us for our body or for what we are, because you'll know he does for how you make him feel and for your inner beauty"
Cheers erupted again.
"Thanks, Millicent" Harry said, bowing. "In few minutes we're going to take the new submissions ok?"
Hermione arrived just in that moment. He saw her and passed the magical microphone to Ron.
"Ron, take over" he said, then walked toward her.
"Hi, Mione" he said.
"Female members of the club in bikini to catch more males, you're a genius Harry" she said ironically.
"Sex sells, Mione. Sex sells. Would you like to take part too, in topless maybe?"
"No, thanks, I've forgotten my swimsuit" she answered dryly. "I've just found out an interesting thing though…"
"Ok, I'm sorry. The twins said me they were going to be ok again in few hours…"
"You've been near to graduate every time you've attended seventh year"
"So you stole my transcripts…" he said, upset, after a moment or two of shock.
"What's going on with you, Harry? You're actually trying with all your might to not exit from here!" she said, upset too.
"Why are you doing this? Do you ever stop playing the reporter?" he spat
"I just want to know why are you throwing your life away. Not for the newspaper. It's for me" she said, softly.
"I've no comment. For either of you" he said, then walked away.
She looked at his retreating back, hurt.
That afternoon, both of them avoided their friends, thinking about each other, sad for their row.
Harry thought a lot about what Hermione had said him.
For days they didn't see each other.
One day, Hermione had to go to Draco's room and help him study, as she was used to do before a test.
But that afternoon she was not in the mood of studying. While he talked, she didn't hear him. She was lost in her own world, doodling hearts on a blank page.
He noticed she was distracted.
"Herms. Herms. What's wrong with you today? You're not concentrating"
"Nothing. I'm fine. Let's get out and have some Butterbeers"
"What? Are you insane? Herms, you very well know my routine before tests. Study till eleven o'clock in the evening, nine hours sleep, and…"
"…pumpkin juice in the morning" she ended rolling her eyes.
"Ok, very cute. And also exact. That means we still have two hours. Concentrate, please" he smiled at her.
She gave him a tight smile, then when he turned she rolled her eyes.
Next day, Harry and his friends were preparing the Room of Requirements for an huge party.
Neville was checking with him all the ones who were going to be there.
"Harry, are you listening to me? We're close to our goal!" he asked then, when the green-eyed boy had not said a word about the list.
"What if she is right?" he suddenly blurted out. "What if I don't want to graduate because I'm scared?"
"Harry, mate, are you hearing yourself? You never doubted of yourself. This girl has been a ruin for you. It's not good. Not good at all" Ron said.
"Neville, you check it here. I've got something else to check…for the party" Harry said, before exiting hastily. He soon reached the Athletics club female restroom.
He found her changing.
When she turned and saw him there she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"What are you doing here?" she inquired, a bit embarrassed.
"I'd to talk with you. I thought about what you said, and…well, just look" he said taking out some sheets.
"Doodles. I've attended all lessons, and remained till the end"
"I'm glad you followed your classes today" she said softly.
"Well, some weren't mine, but I liked them so I remained" he said as an afterthought.
"That's really wonderful, seriously. Really" she said. At that Marietta emerged from behind a closet. Really, everywhere the two of them were, there was a DIK member. It was like Draco had not a club but a secret intelligence society.
"But don't do it for me. Do it for yourself" she added, still softly.
"Maybe I'm doing it for both of us"
"I…shouldn't even be talking with you like this, you know" she said, blushing.
"And I shouldn't be in this locker room" he shouted for all to hear.
"Stop that!" she giggled.
"But sometimes, you've got to let your heart lead you, even if it brings you where you shouldn't be" he said
"And just how many times has your heart led you in the girls locker room?" she asked amusedly.
"Hem…this would be the first"
"Why do I find it hard to believe?" she asked, looking at him with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Well, I'm not saying I'm never been here, just that usually it is some other part of my body which leads me here…"
At that Marietta hastily left the locker room, crashing on an open closet in the way.
She ran to find Draco.
"Hey" she said.
"Why are you so out of breath?" he asked.
"I've just come from the girls locker room of the Athletics club. I've seen something interesting.
Hermione was there, and then Potter arrived. The two of them started chatting, and he was openly flirting with her, but she didn't send him away. On the contrary, she kept talking with him in hushed tones. Let me clarify I'm doing this just because I'm your friend, and wanted to let you know how things are going…"
He didn't let her finish, simply exited the room.
He went searching for Harry with his loyal Goyle on his tail.
He waited for him in front of his "flat"
"Sorry fellas, the patisserie is closed" Harry said, seeing them there.
"I'm here for your services" Draco said.
"Let me guess. Would you like a DIK party with WWW cakes?" Harry said.
"Will your pathetic excuses of friends be invited too?" Draco spat, then he and Goyle started laughing. Really, Harry just stared at them, there was nothing to laugh in what Malfoy had said…
When they regained their composure, Draco spoke. "It's going to be a stag party, one last night of depravation with the guys, before settling with my fiancé, Hermione"
The face of poor Harry was priceless. It was like a truck had just hit him square in the face.
"Oh, now, didn't you really think she would be interested in a fucker like you? Harry, Harry, Harry…" Draco said, counting 500 Galleons and giving them to him.
Then he and Goyle walked away laughing.
Harry immediately went searching fro Hermione at the newspaper, around the school, finally at her dorm.
He knocked on the door.
"Mione, open. It's me. It's Harry"
The door opened, but there was no Hermione there.
"I'm Padma, her dorm mate. Hermione is with Draco, for the engagement party, tonight. Message?"
"No, that's all right" Harry said, then went back to his dorm, where he crashed on the couch.
He had never felt so lost in his life.
Later that night…
"Justin and Rebecca are so good a couple, aren't they?" Draco asked Hermione while entering the party.
"Yeah, I'm so happy for them"
"Yes, they'll be happily married. You know why?"
"Because they are in love"
"No. Well, that too, but because they are compatible. Like two opposite magnets. They attract each other" he said, making her seat on a bench in Hogsmeade, where the party was being held.
"Yeah, but magnets aren't alive" Hermione protested.
"Herms, it's just an example. What I want to say is that they fit together. Like you and me" then with a smug expression he got on one knee.
"Lucky girl" he said, taking out a beautiful ring in a black velvet box. It was shining in the moonlight.
"Hermione Eleanor Granger, will you unite your life with mine like with a Gluing Charm?"
"Draco…I don't know what to say…"
"Say yes. I've a better new, too. I'm going to be interviewed to become an Healer at St. Mungo's right after the N.E.W.T.s!"
"That's great, I'm so happy for you" she said, trying to sound cheerful, but still shocked by his proposal.
"Herms, be happy for us! Draco and Herms' life is kicking in! Oh, by the way, your father wants to gift us an house"
"My parents know about this?" she asked, taken aback.
"Yeah, I told everyone!" Draco said, as it was the most obvious thing in the world. Yeah, right, announce you're engaged before she says yes…
She stood up and walked away.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm not sure, Draco. I don't want to do it, and for some reason I don't regret it at all" she said brightly.
In twenty minutes she was back at the castle. She kept twirling her purse in nervousness, pacing in front of the stairs she should climb to reach Harry's dorm.
Now, how would have you taken the news the girl you're in love with is marrying another man? Yeah, right, you would get pissed.
And that was Harry did. He drunk so much Firewhiskey you could have filled a tub with it. And he sang, listening to some Muggle CDs on a radio he had enchanted to work even at Hogwarts.
That was when Lavender Brown entered.
"Hey, Harry. What's up?"
"A truck has just hit me"
"Are you ok?"
He kept singing.
"I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you
I know you were right, believing for so long…"
"Cool. What's that?"
""Hermione used me for the article, then married a loser breaking my heart and stepping on it with a big metaphorical truck" sang for the first time by Air Supply" he answered.
"Who's Air Supply?"
"How old are you, Lav?"
"Enough to be jealous of this Hermione girl"
Finally, after some hesitation, Hermione decided to really go to see Harry. "Ok, I can do this" she said to herself and climbed the stairs.
When she entered the dorm, she found Harry and Lavender snogging each other's brain out.
"You must be Hermione, the truck driver" Lav said.
Hermione ran away, and Harry swiftly followed her, leaving the other girl behind.
"Mione! Mione! Wait! What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing ? What the hell where YOU doing in there!"
"Even as pissed as I am, I'm pretty sure that's my dorm. Wasn't it?" he said looking up in deep thought.
"What was that girl, a fourth year?"
"Yeah, but she's got the experience of a sixth, you know"
"I'm going away. It's all been a mistake" she said dryly.
"Why did you come here? Did you wanted for me to throw your bachelor party? Because your party pimp has already been booked by your lovely fiancé" Harry asked.
"My fiancé? What are you talking about?"
"When are you two marrying? Because seriously, I would like to keep that date open…" he said ironically.
"My life is not your business. And you know what? Yours is not mine" she said, walking away in tears.
Draco watched the exchange, hidden behind a corner, and while he was glad they had a row, he was tremendously upset for Hermione refusing to marry him, and then running to see Harry. It was all what he could think about for weeks, and kept going on and on about it with Goyle.
"Now I don't even know where she is!" he ended, slamming one fist on the table. They had not seen each other from that night, and he couldn't find her anywhere. She seemed to be able to always avoid him. It was by now just three weeks before N.E.W.T.s.
"Maybe the bitch will be at Potter's party tonight" Goyle said.
Draco glared at him. "Be careful how you call her!" he shouted.
"Hey guys" Marietta said entering the room. "Guess what? I'd to go on that extra credit trip for Flitwick, but I'll not be leaving till late in the night. Anything I can do for you?"
An evil idea suddenly came to Draco's mind.
So that night, in front of the "Historical Origins of Us All" club, the History of Magic association, Ron was checking people entering the party, as usual.
Harry exited from the room.
"What's wrong mate?"
"Nothing, I just don't fell like partying" he said. Then Harry saw Draco coming.
The Head Boy approached him. "Happens to the best ones too. I wanted to make peace with you" then led him away. In the meantime, Marietta distracted Ron and Goyle entered unspotted with lots of drugs packages in his pockets. Once in, he charmed them back to their normal size and exited.
Harry was still talking with Draco.
"Our rivalry has become childish" Draco said. "We can forget it all and be friends. Herms wants it too"
"You don't know a fuck of what Mione wants" Harry said, walking away. "Tell hello for me to that hamster you call a cock".
Soon Auror Kingsley Shackebolt arrived. Draco and his friends vanished immediately
"We've had an anonymous call telling there's drug here at this party. You know you can't have that here at the school, don't you?"
"Of course, Kingsley. We know that. Ron has been here all night, so no one could have sneaked it in, and as for us, you've controlled many of our parties before. You know we don't use it in them" Harry said.
"Yeah, I know. Well, that's enough for me. Enjoy the night, boys" he said, and turned away. But just before he could Disapparate, one drugged guy stumbled out of the room.
"Thaaat whiiiteee things is really something…I hope we'll get more next time…" he said, before crashing on the floor.
"Eh, today's youth can't hold even few Butterbeers" Harry said, glaring at Ron.
Obviously, the Auror did not believe that, so he took Harry away as he was the party thrower.
Draco and his friends watched the scene from behind a corner and high-fived each other, snickering at Harry's fate.
"Don't worry, mate. We'll get you out" Ron said encouragingly to Harry who was being led away.
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